The administration will remove the job's Cabinet designation -- reversing an elevation of the office under President George W. Bush -- although one senior official said that Kerlikowske would have "full access and a direct line to the president and the vice president."

And this should be no surprise:

The source also noted that Vice President Biden was instrumental in the creation of the Office of National Drug Control Policy and would continue to be an outspoken advocate on the issue.

as to a reason for the demotion of sorts? Is Obama trying to distance himself from this disaster without actually being brave and denouncing it? Nah, can't be...then he would have never picked gung-ho drug warrior Biden. He's down with the disaster.

I was reminded of "Traffic", with the new czar's son having drug issues...too much to dream that the new czar will have an epiphany like Michael Douglas' character in the film..."I don't how you wage war on your own family".

...in any government. It's a show-pony position that accomplishes nothing but further our puritan hypocrisy.

The pilgrims stopped at Plymouth Rock partly because they had run out of fresh water to make their booze. Had they stopped because they needed fresh water to irrigate their weed, we'd all be getting arrested for drinking beer.

Kerlikowski is actually a great pick by Obama...considering what we have gotten from both democratic and republican presidents, he is a pretty big change. Yet all I'm reading are snarky comments about Biden and Obama. There are places to criticize Obama, I just dont think this is one of them.

If you want to be a realist and accept that the Drug Czar will be someone from law enforcement, then its as good as it gets. I'm not sure you know his record, but he is a break from his predecessors. he has treated marijuana as the low crime offense that it is, he gave hardly no time to enforcing busts or arrests of marijuana possession in Seattle. While he hasn't gone all the way, in many ways he's been a silent supporter of decriminalizing the drug. There's a reason why many advocates for ending "the war on drugs" were extremely pleased with this pick.

I happen to have a Seattle acquaintence waiting for sentencing because he rented a house to a group of guys who decided to grow mj there. He knew and didn't act on it. He could be facing 10 years in federal prison for that.

I've also been removed from jury selections because I told the judge I would not be able to follow his instructions and put a mother in prison (and her children in foster care) for the mj sales her boyfriend did simply because she lived off the income.

For some good news, I just got word this week a friend of mine who I've mentioned on TL in the past is getting out of prison at the end of the month after over 8 years in a cage over some drug charges...can't wait to see him outside of a cage.

I think he's a great pick too. Removing cabinet status for the post won't hurt anything, it may even be more appropriate this way. Today I wrote about the great new direction which has been promised for a long time: treatment instead of prison.

Knows the "war on drug," has been a legal, social, and financial disaster. I presume Obama and Holder actually do have a brain.

Since the problem has always been how to placate the right wing "yahoos" and their knee-jerk accusations of "soft on crime" against any candidate daring to actually use their brain and do something smart regarding the drug issue, there is a solution.

Nobody has ever accused President Obama of being a "dumb" politician, and he does have the bully pulpit. How hard would it be for Obama and Axlerod to reframe the issue like this:

"My fellow Americans; for 35 we have been waging a "war on drugs" that has drained our Treasury dry, caused more problems than its solved, and frankly, its been a war we aren't winning. Today, I want to announce the end of the "old" war on drugs, and replace it with a New, MORE POWERFUL and WINNABLE war. The new "war" will be headed by Chief ####, AND Dr. ####, working as a team, and will analyze, attack, and WIN this war. This blight on our society has gone on far too long, and when one approach doesn't work, we must be smart enough to CHANGE our tacticts and go with something that WILL win.

The American people want, no, DEMAND, real solutions to real problems, not cheap political sound bites. By utilizing every resource available at the State, Local, and Federal level, Chief #### and Dr. #### have committed to me, and YOU, the American people, that the drug war must be won, can be won, and WILL be won.

Thank you, and God bless America.

(As the camera pans out, a hundred teams, officers with badges and guns shining on the left, and Doctors with white coats and stethoscopes on the right are shown marching out together.)

though for the life of me I don't know what we need the badges and guns for...the only "drug problem" we have is an addiction problem, and the doctors can attempt to minimize the harm caused by addiction on their own.

the over-crowded court dockets and jails are a big problem with the war on drugs?

End this war and many, many attorneys, court employees, police officers and task forces, jails and prisons will see a massive decline in their revenues. The war on drugs actually funds the lives of many, many people.